Otto von Bismarck & German History

Bismarck had the political will and the diplomatic skill to bring diverse groups together for his greater purpose or unifying Germany. He was above all a pragmatic man who was able and willing to do whatever he needed to do in order to strengthen Prussia. He demonstrated his pragmatism continuously in the service of increasing Prussian power. He preceded the 1864 war with masterful diplomacy, dividing all forces inside and outside the German states which were opposed to his plan for a greater Prussia. He was willing to use persuasion or force if necessary:

Bismarck did not shrink from the use of force. The Prussian Army needed experience of warfare to prepare it for the sterner tasks ahead. . . . Between January and July, 1864, Bismarck fought and gained a diplomatic campaign of a magnitude that only later generations could estimate. . . . On April 18, 1864, Europe had its first lesson in Prussian blitzkrieg (Morrow 42).

The European Powers were split by Bismarck and were forced to accept a settlement which gave Prussia and Austria greate

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inent which would gradually collapse into chaos in his absence. Crankshaw scoffs at the notion that he was a man of peace, as he was seen by many after the final of the three wars: Does it make sense to call the later Bismarck a man of peace simply because he was satisfied with the Germany he had made and found the best way to buttress and sustain it was to keep all Europe desperately guessing, and fearing, so that when he had gone there was nobody capable of keeping within bounds the tensions he had created? (Crankshaw 303). The traits which allowed Bismarck to wage and win the wars and political struggles of 1864, 1866 and 1870-71 (ruthlessness, nationalism, manipulation) are the same traits which meant that the victories were hollow. Certainly Germany was unified, but for what purpose, beyond the purpose of unification? However, there is no doubt in the minds of any of the sources consulted for this study that Bismarck is the individual leader most responsible for exploiting the national, political and historical circumstances of the 1860s to unify Germany and set the stage for the re-making of Europe and the world itself in the twentieth century. Soward presents a fair picture of Bismarck, the good and the bad. Soward ar
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Approximate Word count = 1368
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)

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